San Francisco's mayor is starting to unite fractured city

Democrat nationally may be in turmoil, but liberals in San Francisco are hopeful the new mayor's collaborative approach will help solve entrenched problems in a city recently known for its bitter infighting and caustic street.

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Daniel Lurie, an heir to the the Levi Strauss fortune and anti-poverty nonprofit founder with no elected experience, beat out incumbent London Breed in November after spending nearly $10 million of his own money.

Voters embraced his promise to make government work again after years of San Francisco attracting national attention for its empty downtown, open-air drug use and sprawling tent encampments.

Earnest and affable, Lurie is often outside City Hall, talking to merchants and residents, both housed and unhoused. He's reached out to supervisors, including those who feuded with Breed, asking questions and inviting input on thorny topics.

In an interview marking 100 days in office, Lurie said San Francisco is cleaning up its act with safer streets. He brushed off concerns over the involvement of corporate executives in his administration and declined to talk about Republican President Donald Trump's potential impact on San Francisco. "I was elected to turn this city around," Lurie said. "And I want everybody in San Francisco to know that their mayor is focused on getting results for San Franciscans."Some elected officials feel hopeful about working together again after years of gridlock. Connie Chan, a progressive supervisor, says she's already had more discussions with Lurie than she ever had with Breed. "We feel cautiously optimistic despite a lot of attacks that we've seen from the federal government on San Francisco as a city and, of course, California as a state," Chan said.

Frustrations over car break-ins and retail theft have simmered for years, with voters ousting progressive District Attorney Chesa Boudin in June 2022, and approving measures last year to expand police powers.